Jeffry W. Johnston has published about thirty-five short stories and more than two hundred articles. His first young adult novel, Fragments, was an Edgar Award nominee for Best Young Adult Mystery and a Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers selection by YALSA. He lives in the Philadelphia area with his wife and their teenage son. Visit him at jeffrywjohnston.com.
The Truth
Paperback
- ISBN-13: 9781492623205
- Publisher: Sourcebooks, Incorporated
- Publication date: 02/02/2016
- Pages: 256
- Sales rank: 213,017
- Product dimensions: 5.50(w) x 8.25(h) x (d)
- Lexile: HL520L (what's this?)
- Age Range: 14 - 17 Years
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"I tied you up because I need you to listen," Derek says. "Focus."
"Please... W-what do you want from me?"
"The truth," he says. "About what happened the night my brother died." He reaches for my left hand. "If I think you're lying..." With his other hand, he flourishes a pair of flower cutters. Curved. Sharp.
And he smiles.
When Chris wakes up in a dark basement tied to a chair, he knows that he's trapped-and why. Eight nights ago a burglar broke into Chris' home. Eight nights ago Chris did what he had to do to protect his family. And eight nights ago a 13-year-old runaway bled to death on his kitchen floor.
Now Derek wants the truth about what happened that night. He wants proof his little brother didn't deserve to die. For every lie Chris tells, he will lose a finger. But telling the truth is far more dangerous...
A riveting, edge-of-your-seat thriller from Edgar Award-nominated author Jeffry W. Johnston that explores the gray area between what is right and what we'll do to protect the people we love.
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"This captivating thriller keeps the pacing fast, the tension high, and the emotions raw" - Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
"Recommended for readers who enjoy edgy thrillers" - School Library Journal
"An excellent novel that will keep the reader going and guessing up until the very end."
" - VOYA Magazine
Gr 9 Up—Chris Russo wakes up in a dark basement tied to a chair. He is being held captive by Derek Brannick, who demands the truth about the shooting death of his younger brother Caleb at Chris's hands. He threatens to cut all of Chris's fingers off with garden shears if not told the truth. Eight nights ago, Caleb broke into Chris's home. Chris felt he had no choice but to shoot him in self-defense to protect his mom and younger brother, Devon. He appointed himself the man of the house after his police officer dad was killed in the line of duty. He focused his life on Devon's Little League games and overall well-being. He became an overnight local hero for shooting Caleb, whom he learned was a 13-year-old runaway. The teen was instantly invited into the popular cliques and received by his crush Rita before his kidnapping. Chris eventually tells the truth, and the reveal will be unexpected for readers. This YA thriller by Edgar Award nominee Johnston often feels predictable and redundant. Some readers may have issues with the background roles that the parents have. Detective Fyfe may be accused of perpetrating dirty and crooked police stereotypes. VERDICT Recommended for readers who enjoy edgy thrillers.—Donald Peebles, New York Black Librarians Caucus
A teen hostage is forced to recount his battle with a home invader. Chris is just an ordinary kid stuck in an extraordinary situation. Eight days ago an intruder found his way into Chris' home, and Chris shot him dead. Now the intruder's brother, Derek, has Chris held hostage, demanding an honest account of the fateful night and threatening to cut off a few fingers if Chris dares to lie. It's a great, flashy premise, but Johnston comes very close to squandering it. Chris is focused solely on protecting his younger brother after their father died a few years ago and their mother grew distant. It's solid motivation, but it's the only characterization Chris gets, and that one note gets old all too fast. Derek isn't much better; his most interesting attribute provides a dark mirror image of Chris, as he is haunted by his failure to protect his own brother when it counted. The author makes this mirror very explicit, which undercuts the resonance. The most problematic element of the book comes in the very end in the form of Derek's haunting, brutalized past, a pitch-black element that doesn't fit the pulpy tone of the rest of the novel. Even in a book with the threat of torture and gunplay, this darkness is one step too far. A crackerjack idea hobbled by weak characters and the author's heavy hand. (Thriller. 12-16)